E-Paper
'I was on my way home tonight': Djokovic almost accepted fate before Musetti’s ‘devastating’ injury flipped the script
Novak Djokovic was left almost speechless by the sudden change in fortunes, conceding that Lorenzo Musetti had been the “far better player” on the night.
Novak Djokovic was staring down the barrel of defeat as a stunning scene unfolded in front of a packed Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday. Fifth seed Lorenzo Musetti surged to a commanding two-set lead in the quarterfinal, leaving the Serb, who later admitted he had accepted his fate, on the brink, before an unfortunate and devastating injury to the Italian flipped the script.
Having lost all three of his previous meetings against Djokovic, Musetti produced a performance for the ages in Melbourne and rarely looked back after recovering from a 0-2 deficit in the opening set. He broke Djokovic’s serve five times across the first two sets as the Serb, playing his first match since Saturday after advancing via a fourth-round walkover, struggled to find rhythm from the baseline.
However, with Musetti standing just one set away from a major upset, the Italian began to look uncomfortable, receiving treatment on his upper right leg. His movement was visibly restricted before he was forced to retire at 1-2 in the third set.
Channel Nine commentator Brenton Speed described the moment as “absolutely devastating… heartbreaking scenes for Lorenzo Musetti.”
Djokovic was left almost speechless by the sudden change in fortunes, conceding that Musetti had been the “far better player” on the night.
“I feel really sorry for him. He was the far better player — I was on my way home tonight,” Djokovic said. “He was in full control. It’s so unfortunate. I don’t know what else to say. He should have been the winner today, no doubt. I’m extremely lucky to get through.”
The win keeps Djokovic’s hopes of a record 25th Grand Slam title alive and also saw him claim sole ownership of the most singles wins at Melbourne Park, surpassing Roger Federer with his 103rd victory.
In his 54th career Grand Slam semifinal on Friday, Djokovic will face either defending champion Jannik Sinner or American eighth seed Ben Shelton for a place in the final.
